Less than an hour before a federal judge told a Tecumseh man allegedly connected to a multistate dogfighting ring that he could keep his four pit bulls, local authorities began one of two searches that resulted in the seizure of the animals.

Julio C. Reyes, 28, walked out of U.S. District Court in Lincoln on Thursday afternoon on supervised release as he awaits trial on two felony charges that could put him in prison for 10 years. The day after local, state and federal authorities seized more than 400 dogs in a multistate dogfighting ring investigation, U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf said Reyes, who was among 26 people indicted Wednesday, could keep his four pit bulls.

At about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, multiple local agencies teamed with two dogfighting investigators from the Humane Society of the United States to begin the execution of search warrants at Reyes' home and another property.

Once the searches concluded Thursday night, four dogs believed to be owned by Reyes and various items of alleged animal fighting paraphernalia had been seized, Johnson County Attorney Julie Smith Hogancamp said Thursday in a news release.

The dogs will be boarded at the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, where a veterinarian will examine them, Hogancamp said in the release.

She said it was unclear whether charges will be filed against Reyes in Johnson County.

"Our primary concern (Thursday) was for the welfare of dogs," she said in the release.

The federal indictment includes an allegation that Reyes allowed one of his pit bull terriers to be shot and killed after it performed poorly in a fight.

But Kopf denied a prosecution request to remove the dogs from Reyes' home in Tecumseh.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Everett said in court Thursday that investigators found the dogs in four separate kennels, which could indicate they have been trained to fight. In addition, Everett mentioned Reyes' past convictions for animal cruelty and keeping a dangerous dog.

"He has a real documented history here of not being able to take care of dogs," the prosecutor argued.

But Federal Public Defender John Vanderslice said the dogs were "family pets" and argued it is not illegal for his client to keep pets.

The judge wanted to know if the animals were involved with the fighting alleged in the grand jury indictment. After Everett said he wasn't sure, the judge decided Reyes could keep them - for the time being.

Then he saddled Reyes with a long list of conditions he must meet while awaiting trial. The list includes refraining from illegal activities with animals and keeping a job. Reyes is scheduled for a July 23 arraignment in Kansas City, Mo.

He declined to comment as he left the courthouse.

Hogancamp said in the news release that her office and the Tecumseh Police Department obtained search warrants to search Reyes' home at 436 Lincoln St. and another property at 506 U.S. Highway 136, both in Tecumseh. According to the Johnson County Assessor's Web site, the second property is zoned commercial and owned by Jesus Diaz of Plymouth, Minn.

Tecumseh police participated in the searches along with Johnson and Pawnee county sheriff's offices, four Nebraska Humane Society investigators and two Washington, D.C.-based dogfighting investigators from the Humane Society of the United States.

Federal prosecutors in Kansas City charged Reyes and six others on Wednesday with conspiracy to organize and wager money on pit bull fights in Missouri. Kopf also charged Reyes with transporting dogs across state lines to fight.

Reyes is the only Nebraskan charged in the case.

If convicted, he faces as many as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. If he fails to keep the conditions of his pretrial release, he could face additional felony charges.

Reyes turned himself in Wednesday night in Lancaster County, Vanderslice said.

Wednesday's combined raids were the largest coordinated raids on dogfighting in U.S. history, according to the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Both animal-welfare groups assisted law enforcement by providing shelter and care for the seized dogs.

Those arrested included a Little League coach, a registered nurse and a teacher - confirming that the shadowy blood sport is alive and well despite tough laws across the country, The Associated Press reported.

More than 400 dogs, including some about to give birth, were rescued in the raids in Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Mississippi, officials said.

U.S. attorneys in several states accused 26 people of cruelties that included shooting dogs in the head when they didn't fight well, then throwing their carcasses into a river or burning them in a barrel.

The sport, often carried out in back alley garages or rural fields, has come under renewed scrutiny after professional football star Michael Vick was sent to prison after his 2007 dogfighting conviction. Dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states, and in recent years, the federal government made it a felony to train, possess or fight dogs.

But that hasn't stopped people from participating in the sport. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said the public can "definitely expect more" arrests and raids, because "dogfighting remains a distressingly widespread activity."

Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com. Cory Matteson contributed to this report.